Identifying neonates at risk for post-discharge mortality in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Monrovia, Liberia: Derivation and internal validation of a novel risk assessment tool.

INTRODUCTION: The immediate period after hospital discharge carries a large burden of childhood mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Our objective was to derive and internally validate a risk assessment tool to identify neonates discharged from the neonatal ward at risk for 60-day post-discharge mortality. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study of neonates discharged from Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and John F Kennedy Medical Centre in Monrovia, Liberia. Research staff called caregivers to ascertain vital status up to 60 days after discharge. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analyses with best subset selection to identify socioeconomic, demographic, clinical, and anthropometric factors associated with post-discharge mortality. We used adjusted log coefficients to assign points to each variable and internally validated our tool with bootstrap validation with 500 repetitions. RESULTS: There were 2344 neonates discharged and 2310 (98.5%) had post-discharge outcomes available. The median (IQR) age at discharge was 8 (4, 15) days; 1238 (53.6%) were male. In total, 71 (3.1%) died during follow-up (26.8% within 7 days of discharge). Leaving against medical advice (adjusted OR [aOR] 5.62, 95% CI 2.40 to 12.10) and diagnosis of meconium aspiration (aOR 6.98, 95% CI 1.69 to 21.70) conferred the greatest risk for post-discharge mortality. The risk assessment tool included nine variables (total possible score=63) and had an optimism corrected area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.77 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.80). A score of ≥6 was most optimal (sensitivity 68.3% [95% CI 64.8% to 71.5%], specificity 72.1% [95% CI 71.5% to 72.7%]). CONCLUSIONS: A small number of factors predicted all-cause, 60-day mortality after discharge from neonatal wards in Tanzania and Liberia. After external validation, this risk assessment tool may facilitate clinical decision making for eligibility for discharge and the direction of resources to follow-up high risk neonates.

Pediatric procedural sedation in African clinical settings: A mixed methods study of African providers' sedation practices.

Background: Little is known about the practice of pediatric procedural sedation in Africa, despite being incredibly useful to the emergency care of children. This study describes the clinical experiences of African medical providers who use pediatric procedural sedation, including clinical indications, medications, adverse events, training, clinical guideline use, and comfort level. The goals of this study are to describe pediatric sedation practices in resource-limited settings in Africa and identify potential barriers to the provision of safe pediatric sedation. Methods: This mixed methods study describes the pediatric procedural sedation practices of African providers using semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was used to identify key informants working in African resource-limited settings across a broad geographic, economic, and professional range. Quantitative data about provider background and sedation practices were collected concurrently with qualitative data about perceived barriers to pediatric procedural sedation and suggestions to improve the practice of pediatric sedation in their settings. All interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for major themes. Results: Thirty-eight key informants participated, representing 19 countries and the specialties of Anesthesia, Surgery, Pediatrics, Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, and General Practice. The most common indication for pediatric sedation was imaging (42%), the most common medication used was ketamine (92%), and hypoxia was the most common adverse event (61%). Despite 92% of key informants stating that pediatric procedural sedation was critical to their practice, only half reported feeling adequately trained. The three major qualitative themes regarding barriers to safe pediatric sedation in their settings were: lack of resources, lack of education, and lack of standardization across sites and providers. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that training specialized pediatric sedation teams, creating portable "pediatric sedation kits," and producing locally relevant pediatric sedation guidelines may help reduce current barriers to the provision of safe pediatric sedation in resource-limited African settings.

Predictive value of clinician impression for readmission and postdischarge mortality among neonates and young children in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Monrovia, Liberia.

BACKGROUND: There are no validated clinical decision aids to identify neonates and young children at risk of hospital readmission or postdischarge mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, leaving the decision to discharge a child to a clinician's impression. Our objective was to determine the precision of clinician impression to identify neonates and young children at risk for readmission and postdischarge mortality. METHODS: We conducted a survey study nested in a prospective observational cohort of neonates and children aged 1-59 months followed 60 days after hospital discharge from Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania or John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia, Liberia. Clinicians who discharged each enrolled patient were surveyed to determine their perceived probability of the patient's risk of 60-day hospital readmission or postdischarge mortality. We calculated the area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) to determine the precision of clinician impression for both outcomes. RESULTS: Of 4247 discharged patients, 3896 (91.7%) had available clinician surveys and 3847 (98.7%) had 60-day outcomes available: 187 (4.8%) were readmitted and 120 (3.1%) died within 60 days of hospital discharge. Clinician impression had poor precision in identifying neonates and young children at risk of hospital readmission (AUPRC: 0.06, 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.08) and postdischarge mortality (AUPRC: 0.05, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.08). Patients for whom clinicians attributed inability to pay for future medical treatment as the reason for risk for unplanned hospital readmission had 4.76 times the odds hospital readmission (95% CI: 1.31 to 17.25, p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Given the poor precision of clinician impression alone to identify neonates and young children at risk of hospital readmission and postdischarge mortality, validated clinical decision aids are needed to aid in the identification of young children at risk for these outcomes.

Association of State-Level Tax Policy and Infant Mortality in the United States, 1996-2019.

Importance: Infant mortality in the United States is highest among peer nations; it is also inequitable, with the highest rates among Black infants. The association between tax policy and infant mortality is not well understood. Objective: To examine the association between state-level tax policy and state-level infant mortality in the US. Design, Setting, and Participants: This state-level, population-based cross-sectional study investigated the association between tax policy and infant mortality in the US from 1996 through 2019. All US infant births and deaths were included, with data obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics. Data were analyzed from November 28, 2021, to July 9, 2022. Exposures: State-level tax policy was operationalized as tax revenue per capita and tax progressivity. The Suits index was used to measure tax progressivity, with higher progressivity indicating increased tax rates for wealthier individuals. Main Outcomes and Measures: The association between tax policy and infant mortality rates was analyzed using a multivariable, negative binomial, generalized estimating equations model. Since 6 years of tax progressivity data were available (1995, 2002, 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2018), 300 state-years were included. Adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRRs) were calculated controlling for year, state-level demographic variables, federal transfer revenue, and other revenue. Secondary analyses were conducted for racial and ethnic subgroups. Results: There were 148 336 infant deaths in the US from 1996 through 2019, including 27 861 Hispanic infants, 1882 non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native infants, 5792 non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander infants, 41 560 non-Hispanic Black infants, and 68 666 non-Hispanic White infants. The overall infant mortality rate was 6.29 deaths per 1000 live births. Each $1000 increase in tax revenue per capita was associated with a 2.6% decrease in the infant mortality rate (aIRR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95-0.99). An increase of 0.10 in the Suits index (ie, increased tax progressivity) was associated with a 4.6% decrease in the infant mortality rate (aIRR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.91-0.99). Increased tax progressivity was associated with decreased non-Hispanic White infant mortality (aIRR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.91-0.99), and increased tax revenue was associated with increased non-Hispanic Black infant mortality (aIRR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.08). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study, an increase in tax revenue and the Suits index of tax progressivity were both associated with decreased infant mortality. These associations varied by race and ethnicity. Tax policy is an important, modifiable social determinant of health that may influence state-level infant mortality.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic value of four biomarkers in detecting neonatal sepsis in low- and middle-income countries.

BACKGROUND: Biomarkers may enhance diagnostic capability for common paediatric infections, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where standard diagnostic modalities are frequently unavailable, but disease burden is high. A comprehensive understanding of the diagnostic capability of commonly available biomarkers for neonatal sepsis in LMICs is lacking. Our objective was to systematically review evidence on biomarkers to understand their diagnostic performance for neonatal sepsis in LMICs. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published in English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, and Arabic reporting the diagnostic performance of C reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cell count (WBC) and procalcitonin (PCT) for neonatal sepsis. We calculated pooled test characteristics and the area under the curve (AUC) for each biomarker compared with the reference standards blood culture or clinical sepsis defined by each article. RESULTS: Of 6570 studies related to biomarkers in children, 134 met inclusion criteria and included 23 179 neonates. There were 80 (59.7%) studies conducted in LMICs. CRP of ≥60 mg/L (AUC 0.87, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.91) among 1339 neonates and PCT of ≥0.5 ng/mL (AUC 0.87, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.92) among 617 neonates demonstrated the greatest discriminatory value for the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis using blood culture as the reference standard in LMICs. CONCLUSIONS: PCT and CRP had good discriminatory value for neonatal sepsis in LMICs. ESR and WBC demonstrated poor discrimination for neonatal sepsis in LMICs. Future studies may incorporate biomarkers into clinical evaluation in LMICs to diagnose neonatal sepsis more accurately. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020188680.

Pediatric procedural sedation in African clinical settings: A mixed methods study of African providers' sedation practices

Background: Little is known about the practice of pediatric procedural sedation in Africa, despite being incredibly useful to the emergency care of children. This study describes the clinical experiences of African medical providers who use pediatric proceduralsedation, including clinical indications, medications, adverse events, training, clinical guideline use, and comfort level. The goals of this study are to describe pediatric sedation practices in resource-limited settings in Africa and identify potential barriers to the provision of safe pediatric sedation. Methods: This mixed methods study describes the pediatric procedural sedation practices of African providers using semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was used to identify key informants working in African resource-limited settings across a broad geographic, economic, and professional range. Quantitative data about provider background and sedation practices were collected concurrently with qualitative data about perceived barriers to pediatric procedural sedation and suggestions to improve the practice of pediatric sedation in their settings. All interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for major themes. Results: Thirty-eight key informants participated, representing 19 countries and the specialties of Anesthesia, Surgery, Pediatrics, Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, and General Practice. The most common indication for pediatric sedation was imaging (42%), the most common medication used was ketamine (92%), and hypoxia was the most common adverse event (61%). Despite 92% of key informants stating that pediatric procedural sedation was critical to their practice, only half reported feeling adequately trained. The three major qualitative themes regarding barriers to safe pediatric sedation in their settings were: lack of resources, lack of education, and lack of standardization across sites and providers. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that training specialized pediatric sedation teams, creating portable "pediatric sedation kits," and producing locally relevant pediatric sedation guidelines may help reduce current barriers to the provision of safe pediatric sedation in resource-limited African settings.

Cash transfers and nutrition education to improve dietary diversity among children aged 6-23 months in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia: a cluster-randomized trial.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of a cash transfer and nutrition education program on dietary diversity among children in Liberia. We hypothesized that a multi-pronged intervention would result in improved dietary diversity among children. METHODS: We conducted a three-armed, cluster-randomized study in 42 communities (12 children per community) in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia, over a 12-month period. We randomly assigned communities to control (n = 14 communities), those that received both bimonthly cash transfers and a structured nutrition education program (n = 14 communities) and those that received bimonthly cash transfers alone (n = 14 communities). Community health assistants conducted bimonthly assessments in participants' homes. The primary outcome was the proportion of children aged 6-23 months who met minimum dietary diversity score (i.e., ≥4 food groups consumed per day). Secondary outcomes included meal frequency and healthcare utilization for illnesses (NCT04101487). RESULTS: There were 599 children enrolled; 533 (88.9%) were retained through the trial period. The proportion of children who consumed ≥4 food groups per day did not differ among the three arms. However, children randomized to receive cash transfers had higher dietary diversity scores than the control group. Children in communities that received cash transfers alone and with nutrition education consumed significantly more meals per day and were less likely to have visits to clinics or hospitals for illnesses than children in control communities. CONCLUSION: Bimonthly, unconditional cash transfers and nutrition education were associated with higher dietary diversity scores, greater meal frequency, and fewer healthcare visits for illnesses among children aged 6-23 months.

Worldwide, more than one in five children suffers from chronic malnutrition. Children aged <2 years who do not eat a diverse diet are at risk of chronic malnutrition and stunting of their height. Thus, interventions are needed to combat the common problem of chronic malnutrition, particularly in settings like rural Liberia where as much as 30% of children are stunted. In this study, caregivers of children aged 6­23 months in rural communities in Eastern Liberia were randomly assigned to receive either bimonthly cash transfers, bimonthly cash transfers and specific nutrition education, or routine support from community health assistants to see if giving caregivers money and nutrition education would increase the dietary diversity of their young children. There were 599 children enrolled and 533 were retained over a 12-month study period. Children in communities randomized to receive cash transfers had higher dietary diversity scores than the control group. Children in communities that received cash transfers alone and with nutrition education consumed significantly more meals per day and were less likely to have visits to clinics or hospitals for illnesses than children in control communities. Unconditional cash transfers in rural Liberia may be one way to reduce inadequate dietary diversity among young children.

Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis among surgical patients: results from a retrospective observational study at a public hospital in Liberia.

BACKGROUND: Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) is one of the most effective measures to prevent surgical site infections (SSIs). According to WHO SAP guidelines, SAP requires appropriate indication for administration and delivery of the antimicrobial agent to the operative site through intravenous administration within 60-120 min before the initial surgical incision is made. In Liberia, it is unknown how surgeons practice and there has been anecdotal observation of antibiotic overuse. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate baseline SAP compliance, particularly appropriate SAP use based on wound class and time of antibiotic administration. METHODS: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted from November to December 2017. One-day training was provided on SAP/SSI to 24 health workers by the Ministry of Health and WHO. Following this training, surgical cases (general surgery and obstetrics and gynaecology (OB/GYN) underwent chart review with focus on time of SAP administration and appropriate SAP based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wound classification. RESULTS: A total of 143 charts were reviewed. Twenty-nine (20.3%) cases showed appropriate prophylaxis through administrations of antibiotics 120 min before surgical incision, resulting in SAP compliance. One hundred and fourteen cases (79.7%) showed SAP noncompliance with timing of antibiotic administration. Of the OB/Gyn cases, 109 wounds were classified as Class I (clean) and one wound was classified as Class III (contaminated). For General Surgical cases, 32 wounds were classified as Class I and one as Class III. Of the 109 Class I OB/Gyn surgeries, 24 (22%) were appropriately given antibiotics based on the CDC wound guidelines while 78% were non-compliant with recommendations. Of the 32 Class I General surgery cases, 4 (12.5%) were compliant with antibiotics guidelines while 28 (87.5%) were not. CONCLUSION: Compliance with SAP is low. More studies need to be done to explore the contributing factors to this. Implementing mechanisms to achieve proper use of SAP is needed.

A Prospective, observational cohort study to identify neonates and children at risk of postdischarge mortality in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Monrovia, Liberia: the PPDM study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Over half of the 5 million annual deaths among children aged 0-59 months occur in sub-Saharan Africa. The period immediately after hospitalisation is a vulnerable time in the life of a child in sub-Saharan Africa as postdischarge mortality rates are as high as 1%-18%. Identification of neonates and children who are at highest risk for postdischarge mortality may allow for the direction of interventions to target patients at highest risk. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Predicting Post-Discharge Mortality study is a prospective, observational study being conducted at Muhimbili National Hospital (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) and John F. Kennedy Medical Center (Monrovia, Liberia). The aim is to derive and validate two, age population specific, clinical prediction rules for the identification of neonates (n=2000) and children aged 1-59 months (n=2000) at risk for all-cause mortality within 60 days of discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit or paediatric ward. Caregivers of participants will receive phone calls 7, 14, 30, 45 and 60 days after discharge to assess vital status. Candidate predictor variables will include demographic, anthropometric and clinical factors. Elastic net regression will be used to derive the clinical prediction rules. Bootstrapped selection with repetitions will be used for internal validation. Planned secondary analyses include the external validation of existing clinical prediction models, determination of clinicians' ability to identify neonates and children at risk of postdischarge mortality at discharge, analysis of factors associated with hospital readmission and unplanned clinic visits and description of health-seeking behaviours in the postdischarge period. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study received ethical clearance from the Tanzania National Institute of Medical Research, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, the John F. Kennedy Medical Center Institutional Review Board, and the Boston Children's Hospital Institutional Review Board. Findings will be disseminated at scientific conferences and as peer-reviewed publications.

Where there is no local author: a network bibliometric analysis of authorship parasitism among research conducted in sub-Saharan Africa.

INTRODUCTION: Authorship parasitism (ie, no authors affiliated with the country in which the study took place) occurs frequently in research conducted in low-income and middle-income countries, despite published recommendations defining authorship criteria. The objective was to compare characteristics of articles exhibiting authorship parasitism in sub-Saharan Africa to articles with author representation from sub-Saharan African countries. METHODS: A bibliometric review of articles indexed in PubMed published from January 2014 through December 2018 reporting research conducted in sub-Saharan Africa was performed. Author affiliations were assigned to countries based on regular expression algorithms. Choropleth maps and network diagrams were created to determine where authorship parasitism occurred, and multivariable logistic regression was used to determine associated factors. RESULTS: Of 32 061 articles, 14.8% (n=4754) demonstrated authorship parasitism, which was most common among studies from Somalia (n=175/233, 75.1%) and Sao Tome and Principe (n=20/28, 71.4%). Authors affiliated with USA and UK institutions were most commonly involved in articles exhibiting authorship parasitism. Authorship parasitism was more common in articles: published in North American journals (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.26, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.50) than in sub-Saharan African journals, reporting work from multiple sub-Saharan African countries (aOR 8.41, 95% CI 7.30 to 9.68) compared with work from upper-middle income sub-Saharan African countries, with <5 authors (aOR 14.46, 95% CI 12.81 to 16.35) than >10 authors, and was less common in articles published in French (aOR 0.60, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.85) than English. CONCLUSIONS: Authorship parasitism was common in articles reporting research conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. There were reliable predictors of authorship parasitism. Investigators and institutions in high-income countries, as well as funding agencies and journals should promote research from sub-Saharan Africa, including its publication, in a collaborative and equitable manner.

Implementation of a pediatric early warning score tool in a pediatric oncology Ward in Palestine.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric Early Warning Scores (PEWS) are nurse-administered clinical assessment tools utilizing vital signs and patient signs and symptoms to screen for patients at risk for clinical deterioration.1-3 When utilizing a PEWS system, which consists of an escalation algorithm to alert physicians of high risk patients requiring a bedside evaluation and assessment, studies have demonstrated that PEWS systems can decrease pediatric intensive care (PICU) utilization, in-hospital cardiac arrests, and overall decreased mortality in high income settings. Yet, many hospital based settings in low and lower middle income countries (LMIC) lack systems in place for early identification of patients at risk for clinical deterioration. METHODS: A contextually adapted 16-h pediatric resuscitation program included training of a PEWS tool followed by implementation and integration of a PEWS system in a pediatric hematology/oncology ward in Beit Jala, Palestine. Four PDSA cycles were implemented post-implementation to improve uptake and scoring of PEWS which included PEWS tool integration into an existing electronic medical record (EMR), escalation algorithm and job aid implementation, data audits and ward feedback. RESULTS: Frequency of complete PEWS vital sign documentation reached a mean of 89.9%. The frequency and accuracy of PEWS scores steadily increased during the post-implementation period, consistently above 89% in both categories starting from data audit four and continuing thereafter. Accuracy of PEWS scoring was unable to be assessed during week 1 and 2 of data audits due to challenges with PEWS integration into the existing EMR (PDSA cycle 1) which were resolved by the 3rd week of data auditing (PDSA cycle 2). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a PEWS scoring tool in an LMIC pediatric oncology inpatient unit is feasible and can improve frequency of vital sign collection and generate accurate PEWS scores. CONTRIBUTION TO THE LITERATURE: This study demonstrates how to effectively implement a PEWS scoring tool into an LMIC clinical setting. This study demonstrates how to utilize a robust feedback mechanism to ensure a quality program uptake. This study demonstrates an effective international partnership model that other institutions may utilize for implementation science.

The Impact of Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Improvements on Hand Hygiene at Two Liberian Hospitals during the Recovery Phase of an Ebola Epidemic.

Fourteen years of civil war left Liberia with crumbling infrastructure and one of the weakest health systems in the world. The 2014-2015 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak exposed the vulnerabilities of the Liberian health system. Findings from the EVD outbreak highlighted the lack of infection prevention and control (IPC) practices, exacerbated by a lack of essential services such as water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in healthcare facilities. The objective of this intervention was to improve IPC practice through comprehensive WASH renovations conducted at two hospitals in Liberia, prioritized by the Ministry of Health (MOH). The completion of renovations was tracked along with the impact of improvements on hand hygiene (HH) practice audits of healthcare workers pre- and post-intervention. An occurrence of overall HH practice was defined as the healthcare worker practicing compliant HH before and after the care for a single patient encounter. Liberia Government Hospital Bomi (LGH Bomi) and St. Timothy Government Hospital (St. Timothy) achieved World Health Organization (WHO) minimum global standards for environmental health in healthcare facilities as well as Liberian national standards. Healthcare worker (HCW) overall hand hygiene compliance improved from 36% (2016) to 89% (2018) at LGH Bomi hospital and from 86% (2016) to 88% (2018) at St. Timothy hospital. Improved WASH services and IPC practices in resource-limited healthcare settings are possible if significant holistic WASH infrastructure investments are made in these settings.

Understanding the Predictors that Contribute to Liberian Health Care Workers Feeling Protected From Ebola While at Work.

OBJECTIVE: To assess Liberian health care workers' feelings around safety in returning to work in the setting of the Ebola virus disease outbreak of 2014-2015 after receiving infection prevention and control (IPC) training. METHODS: Academic Consortium Combating Ebola in Liberia (ACCEL) training surveys were done at 21 public, Liberian hospitals to understand health care workers' attitudes surrounding Ebola and whether they felt safe while at work based on multiple factors. Logistic regression was used for analysis. RESULTS: We found that health care workers feeling safe at work during the Ebola outbreak was primarily predicted by the number of IPC/Ebola trainings received pre-ACCEL interventions. Health care workers felt increasingly safer and motivated to return to work as trainings approached 3 (OR 8, p-value < 0.001); however, more than 3 trainings resulted in decreased safety and motivation. In addition, health care workers who reported washing their hands before and after patient contact were 3.4 times more likely to understand how to protect themselves from Ebola. CONCLUSIONS: These results help to better understand the utility of repeated trainings on health care worker practice attitudes and the importance of IPC policies within hospitals, such as hand hygiene promotion and education, when coordinating humanitarian efforts.

Pediatric nurses' perceptions of preparedness for global health fieldwork.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive research study was to understand the current state, perceived content, and experiential needs of pediatric nurses preparing for global health (GH) fieldwork experience. This study aimed to inform stakeholders about the standard and unique preparation needs of pediatric GH nurses. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: One group and five individual interviews were held with nurses from a large pediatric quaternary care facility in the Northeast United States. Data from the interviews were transcribed verbatim, eliminating personal data. Only deidentified transcripts were used for data analysis. Members of the study team used content analysis to systematically code and analyze the data. RESULTS: Qualitative content analysis revealed five categories: (1) identifying clear objectives, (2) understanding the practice environment, (3) self-assessment of clinical skills, cultural competencies, and adaptability, (4) safety and logistics planning, and (5) psychological self-care and reentry anticipatory guidance. CONCLUSIONS: Findings can provide a basis for program planning to prepare pediatric nurses for GH fieldwork. Program planning must account for the unique features of the site and situation. Organizational and personal preparation can influence the perceived success of the GH experience.

Emergency Medicine Training Programs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.

Background: Despite the growing interest in the development of emergency care systems and emergency medicine (EM) as a specialty globally, there still exists a significant gap between the need for and the provision of emergency care by specialty trained providers. Many efforts to date to expand the practice of EM have focused on programs developed through partnerships between higher- and lower-resource settings. Objective: To systematically review the literature to evaluate the composition of EM training programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) developed through partnerships. Methods: An electronic search was conducted using four databases for manuscripts on EM training programs - defined as structured education and/or training in the methods, procedures, and techniques of acute or emergency care - developed through partnerships. The search produced 7702 results. Using a priori inclusion and exclusion criteria, 94 manuscripts were included. After scoring these manuscripts, a more in-depth examination of 26 of the high-scoring manuscripts was conducted. Findings: Fifteen highlight programs with a focus on specific EM content (i.e. ultrasound) and 11 cover EM programs with broader scopes. All outline programs with diverse curricula and varied educational and evaluative methods spanning from short courses to full residency programs, and they target learners from medical students and nurses to mid-level providers and physicians. Challenges of EM program development through partnerships include local adaptation of international materials; addressing the local culture(s) of learning, assessment, and practice; evaluation of impact; sustainability; and funding. Conclusions: Overall, this review describes a diverse group of programs that have been or are currently being implemented through partnerships. Additionally, it highlights several areas for program development, including addressing other topic areas within EM beyond trauma and ultrasound and evaluating outcomes beyond the level of the learner. These steps to develop effective programs will further the advancement of EM as a specialty and enhance the development of effective emergency care systems globally.

Improving Pediatric Academic Global Health Collaborative Research and Agenda Setting: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Academic global health collaborations have the potential to improve joint understanding of health issues in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Our objective was to elucidate perceptions of benefits and challenges of academic global health collaborations as well as areas for improving collaborative research conducted in LMICs. This cross-sectional, mixed-methods study surveyed investigators' perceptions of benefits and challenges of pediatric academic global health collaborations. Authors of articles from four pediatric journals reporting pediatric research conducted in LMICs published between 2006 and 2015 were surveyed. Responses of LMIC investigators were compared with those of investigators in high-income countries (HICs). Responses to open-ended questions were analyzed using a combined thematic and content analysis approach. Of 1,420 potential respondents, 252 (17.7%) responded to the survey. Collaborative research with investigators from other countries was perceived as beneficial by 88.5% of respondents (n = 223), although this perception was more common among HIC respondents (n = 110, 94.0%) than LMIC respondents (n = 113, 83.7%) (p = 0.014). Sixty-seven percent (n = 170) of respondents perceived that HIC investigators had set the research agenda in work conducted in a LMIC. Respondents identified several critical factors to improve academic global health collaborations, including research capacity building, communication, and early involvement of LMIC investigators with shared decision-making during study conception and grant writing. Pediatric academic global health collaboration was widely perceived as positive. However, despite calls for capacity building and locally generated research ideas, many respondents felt that HIC investigators set the research agenda for work conducted in LMICs. This study provides suggestions for improving collaboration among pediatric academicians globally.

Strengthening healthcare workforce capacity during and post Ebola outbreaks in Liberia: an innovative and effective approach to epidemic preparedness and response.

INTRODUCTION: The 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Liberia highlighted the importance of robust preparedness measures for a well-coordinated response; the initially delayed response contributed to the steep incidence of cases, infections among health care workers, and a collapse of the health care system. To strengthen local capacity and combat disease transmission, various healthcare worker (HCW) trainings, including the Ebola treatment unit (ETU) training, safe & quality services (SQS) training and rapid response team (RRT), were developed and implemented between 2014 and 2017. METHODS: Data from the ETU, SQS and RRT trainings were analyzed to determine knowledge and confidence gained. RESULTS: The ETU, SQS and RRT training were completed by a total of 21,248 participants. There were improvements in knowledge and confidence, an associated reduction in HCWs infection and reduced response time to subsequent public health events. CONCLUSION: No infections were reported by healthcare workers in Liberia since the completion of these training programs. HCW training programmes initiated during and post disease outbreak can boost public trust in the health system while providing an entry point for establishing an Epidemic Preparedness and Response (EPR) framework in resource-limited settings.

Importance of authorship and inappropriate authorship assignment in paediatric research in low- and middle-income countries.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the importance of authorship and authorship position, and gauge perceptions of inappropriate authorship assignment, among authors publishing paediatric research conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, mixed-methods study using an online survey of both corresponding and randomly selected, non-corresponding authors who published research conducted in LMICs from 2006 to 2015 in the top four paediatric journals by Eigenfactor score. We used chi-square tests to compare responses by authors living in LMICs to authors living in high-income countries (HICs). We analysed qualitative responses using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Of 1420 potential respondents, 19.6% (n = 279) completed the survey. 57% (n = 159) lived in LMICs and 43% (n = 120) in HICs. LMIC authors more commonly perceived first authorship as most important for their academic advancement than HIC authors (74.2% vs. 60.8%, P = 0.017), while HIC authors reported last authorship as most important (25.1% vs. 38.3%, P = 0.018). 65% (n = 181) of respondents believed that their collaborators had been inappropriately assigned authorship positions (no difference in LMIC and HIC responses) and 32.6% (n = 91) reported personally accepting inappropriate authorship positions (more common in HIC respondents, P = 0.005). In qualitative data, respondents questioned the applicability of standard authorship guidelines for collaborative research conducted in LMICs. CONCLUSIONS: LMIC and HIC authors held different perceptions about the importance of authorship position. Reported inappropriate authorship assignment was common among both LMIC and HIC respondents. Alternatives to standard authorship criteria for research conducted in LMICs merit further studies.

OBJECTIF: Comprendre l'importance de la paternité d'auteur et de la position de l'auteur, et évaluer les perceptions de l'attribution inappropriée de la paternité d'auteur parmi les auteurs qui publient des recherches pédiatriques menées dans des pays à revenu faible ou intermédiaire (PRFI). MÉTHODES: Nous avons mené une étude transversale à méthodes mixtes avec un sondage en ligne auprès d'auteurs de correspondance et sélectionnés au hasard, d'auteurs not de correspondance, ayant publié des recherches menées dans des PRFIde 2006 à 2015 dans les quatre revues pédiatriques les mieux classées par le score d'Eigenfactor. Nous avons utilisé des tests de chi carré pour comparer les réponses des auteurs des PRFI à ceux des aux auteurs des pays à revenu élevé (PRE). Nous avons analysé les réponses qualitatives à l'aide d'une analyse thématique. RÉSULTATS: Sur 1.420 répondants potentiels, 19,6% (n = 279) ont répondu au sondage. 57% (n = 159) vivaient dans des PRFI et 43% (n = 120) dans des PRE. Les auteurs des PRFI estimaient plus souvent que la position de premier auteur était le plus important pour leur avancement universitaire que les auteurs des PRE (74,2% contre 60,8%, P = 0,017), tandis que les auteurs desPRE ont déclaré que le dernier auteur était le plus important (25,1% contre 38,3%, P = 0,018). 65% (n = 181) des répondants estimaient que des positions d'auteur avaient été attribués de manière inappropriée à leurs collaborateurs (aucune différence entre les réponses des PRFI et des PRE) et 32,6% (n = 91) ont déclaré avoir personnellement accepté des positions d'auteurs inappropriées (plus fréquents chez les répondants desPRE, P = 0,005). En ce qui concerne les données qualitatives, les répondants se sont interrogés sur l'applicabilité des directives standards en matière de paternité d'auteur pour la recherche collaborative menée dans les PRFI. CONCLUSIONS: Les auteurs des PRFI et desPREont des perceptions différentes sur l'importance de la position de l'auteur. L'attribution inappropriée de laposition d'auteur signalée était fréquente chez les répondants des PRFI et des PRE. Les alternatives aux critères standards de la paternité d'auteur pour les recherches menées dans les PRFI méritent d'être approfondies.

Neglected tropical diseases in children: An assessment of gaps in research prioritization.

BACKGROUND: Despite the known burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) on child health, there is limited information on current efforts to increase pediatric therapeutic options. Our objective was to quantify and characterize research activity and treatment availability for NTDs in children in order to inform the prioritization of future research efforts. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted a review of the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform to assess research activity for NTDs. The burden of disease of each NTD was measured in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALYs), which was extracted from the Global Health Data Exchange. First- and second-line medications for each NTD were identified from WHO guidelines. We reviewed FDA drug labels for each medication to determine whether they were adequately labeled for use in children. Descriptive statistics, binomial tests, and Spearman's rank order correlations were calculated to assess research activity compared to burden of disease. Children comprised 34% of the 20 million DALYs resulting from NTDs, but pediatric trials contributed just 17% (63/369) of trials studying these conditions (p<0.001 for binomial test). Conditions that were particularly under-represented in pediatric populations compared to adults included rabies, leishmaniasis, scabies, and dengue. Pediatric drug trial activity was poorly correlated with pediatric burden of disease across NTDs (Spearman's rho = 0.41, p = 0.12). There were 47 medications recommended by the WHO for the treatment of NTDs, of which only 47% (n = 22) were adequately labeled for use in children. Of the 25 medications lacking adequate pediatric labeling, three were under study in pediatric trials. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: There is a substantial gap between the burden of disease for NTDs in children and research devoted to this population. Most medications lack adequate pediatric prescribing information, highlighting the urgency to increase pediatric research activity for NTDs with high burden of disease and limited treatment options.